Miss Gendered
by aemelia113
Summary: An akuma who has had it with men wreaks havoc and Chat Noir is suddenly a girl. With no idea how to navigate womanhood, who is he to turn to but his favorite aspiring fashion designer with a knack for helping others? There are awkward times, but the fun more than makes up for it. He sees that there is more to this baker's daughter than he knew. Marichat. No sin. Oneshot.


UPDATE: Cover art by Sombrasaru on Twitter.

"My name is Eve, and I will cleanse the world of stupid, cruel, and useless men!" the akuma roared from the top of the Arc De Triomphe, cackling with laughter.

She had an undercut, her pink hair pulled back into a wavy ponytail that showed off the sides shaved in a swirling pattern. Her violet eyes flashed with glee as she wreaked havoc upon the populace.

Eve wore a black T-shirt with the female symbol emblazoned on it in gold, paired with ripped gray jeans and purple converse, with a raspberry and lavender colored flannel tied around her waist. A gold, apple-shaped locket dangled from her neck and matching spiked cuffs decorated her wrists, setting off her caramel skin tone nicely. Her ears were decked out with five gold piercings each, winding up the edges. Her septum was also similarly adorned. Her fierce grin was painted in plum.

Basically, she looked like a Hispanic punk rock goddess. Ladybug tried and failed not to be impressed with her aesthetic.

Eve materialized a handful of tiny fuchsia grenades and scattered them over the fleeing crowds. They burst into enormous clouds of powder pink smoke that engulfed the running people. Any women caught in the blast only stumbled out coughing, but any men were instantly transformed into women, clothes drooping from their altered frames.

"We've got to stop her, Chat!" Ladybug called out.

"I'm aware," he retorted. "But how?"

"That locket is the one thing that doesn't match. It's too... cutesy. That has to be where the akuma is."

"How are we going to get that close?" Chat asked. "If I get hit..."

"You can still punch people if you have boobs, Chat," Ladybug cut him off with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, Lucky Charm can clear anything up. Now let's ends this."

They rushed into battle, but Eve turned out to be stronger than they thought. Chat _did_ get hit, vanishing in a cloud of pink smoke. Ladybug couldn't worry about him right now. He would be fine. She moved in to hammer Eve harder than before, but was beaten back. The villain threw down one of her smoke bombs for cover and disappeared. Ladybug sighed. Great. Now what was she supposed to do? She turned to check on Chat and her heart did a flip in her chest.

 _No fair. He's just as hot as a girl_ , she complained silently.

Chat was about half a foot shorter, with the same messy blonde hair grown out down to his- her? shoulder blades. Her green eyes were bigger and rounder, and her full lips were scrunched in a pout. She had her arms crossed uncomfortably over her chest, which was... dramatically bigger. She had curves like a model and legs for days. Her features were softer, but just as gorgeous. Her belt tail had- inexplicably- changed into a silky scarf that was twitching in agitation.

"My Lady, I am not happy," she huffed.

"Girl you is a lot cuter when she's angry," was the only thing that came out of her mouth.

Chat Noir blushed scarlet. "Be that as it may, I would still like my old body back. How do we fix this?"

"We don't. Or, at least not until we can catch and purify the akuma."

"Well, how long will that take?" she squeaked.

"I don't know, Chat. It could be hours, or days. Hopefully not weeks, but she's a tricky one, so it's hard to tell," Ladybug said gently.

"What am I gonna do?" she groaned. "I have zero clue how to be a girl, and I am _not_ asking for help from N-... from my sort-of mom."

Ladybug thought for a moment, then brightened as an idea came to her. "Do you remember Marinette? From the Evil-ustrator case?"

"Yeah. We met during Puppeteer's attack and the Gamer incident, too. She seems nice. Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Do you trust her?"

"I don't know her as well as I would like to, but I think so, yes."

"She's a friend. I can ask her to take you in for however long this lasts and show you the ropes about girlhood. Does that sound like an okay plan?" she ventured.

"I mean, I guess it would be better to learn from someone my age, who I know, so maybe? It's as good of a plan as we've got, for now," she agreed hesitantly.

"Alright. I'll set it up, and you can drop by her balcony tonight after letting your family know where you'll be."

"Yeah, fine," she huffed, clearly disgruntled at the whole situation. "I'll be by at sunset."

Chat Noir pole vaulted away in the direction of home, face scrunched up in a dissatisfied expression.

There was nothing wrong with being a girl if that was what you wanted to be, but Adrien had been just fine being a guy. He was trying not to think too hard about it, especially the uncomfortable physical differences. His chest kept getting in the way of pole vaulting. How did girls ever get anything _done_ with these cumbersome things attached to their torsos?

He snuck into his room via the balcony and detransformed in a flash. He steeled himself to glance in the mirror at his new look.

Huh.

His shoulders relaxed. If he had to be a girl, at least he was still pretty good-looking. Other than the two things he refused to acknowledge, there wasn't that much different other than softer features and longer hair. He had to admit the cut suited his new face better than his original one would have, at any rate. The downside was that it kept falling in his face. He hoped Marinette would let him borrow a hair tie... and show him how to use it. Right. Marinette. That brought him to the reason for his visit home.

He made his way to the room in the mansion that housed all of the completed design pieces for the Agreste company. His old clothes were falling off his smaller frame, and if he was going to be female, he was darn well going to do it in style. After a few minutes of searching, he located some okay outfits that looked like they would fit. He had to give up a lot of his options because of the strain of fabric over his bust, which made him scowl. He stuck mostly to pants and t-shirts, but grabbed one dress on impulse that he just kind of liked. It was the same shade of blue as his Lady's eyes.

All of this he stuffed in a bag with his toiletries before heading for the front door. He was almost home free until he heard a voice snap, "You, Miss! How did you get in here?" He winced at Nathalie's harsh tone and turned around slowly with a sheepish look on his face. She blinked in shock a few times before recovering her usual bland composure.

"Adrien? What on earth happened? Why are you packed up and leaving?" She eyed his attire suspiciously.

He had changed into a plain green T-shirt and black capris, as well as sneakers that fit, deciding to keep it simple. It was even more casual than his usual look. Comfort had been the only idea, honestly, but sporting such a lack of fashion was strange for an Agreste, to make a gross understatement.

"An akuma that turns guys into girls got me," he explained. "I'm going to a female friend's house so she can, um, help me with any girl stuff that might pop up," he finished awkwardly.

"I see," Nathalie hummed. "I suppose you have every intention of going to school despite your... condition?"

"I'm not going to miss out," he insisted.

"Fine," she sighed. "Stay safe and give me updates every two waking hours. Come home the second this nightmare is over and listen to everything your friend says. I'll run interference with your father."

"Thank you, Nathalie. I promise to be good. I'll see you later!" he called, dashing out the door before she could change her mind.

Chat Noir dropped onto Marinette's roof around seven, after chilling on the rooftops for awhile. He had tried walking through the park to kill time, but the lewd comments and the predatory looks got to be too much. He knew how to fight back, but he was smaller, and not powered up, so he wasn't willing to risk it. He had no idea that men could be so... ugh. No wonder Eve wanted there to be fewer of them.

He knocked on the window hatch and it flew open almost immediately. Marinette's head popped up and she greeted him with a friendly grin.

"Chat! Welcome to my house. Come on in," she told him warmly.

He cautiously followed her down the ladder and dropped onto her bed. He had been in there before as Adrien, but the quantity of pink still knocked him back a step. He scanned the place in detail, noticing the evidence of her hard design work draped over a dress form and pinned up as sketches on the walls. He looked closer at a drawing of a multi-layered skirt in vivid shades of green and blue that reminded him of his mother.

"These are really good," he commented.

"Thank you," she accepted with a slight blush.

"Um, Princess, not to sound ungrateful, but the transformation doesn't last all night, so if my secret identity is going to still be a thing, how is this going to work?"

"Oh! I thought of that, actually," she brightened. A quick sidestep to her dresser allowed her to grab a piece of black fabric that he hadn't noticed. "When you're ready to let the mask drop, you can put this non-magical one on instead. I was working on a Chat Noir cosplay thing for a commission, so I had a copy of your mask on hand. It has wires in it to sculpt perfectly to your face and skin-safe adhesive on the inside."

"You made this?" he asked, turning it over in his hands. The craftsmanship was remarkable. It was exactly like his black leather domino mask, complete with green lenses.

"Yep," she confirmed proudly. "Some of my finest accessory work, if I do say so myself."

"It's quite good," he agreed, setting it back down on the desk. He was going to keep the transformation up as long as he could. He felt more free and in control in costume.

"So, how did you spend your first afternoon as a girl?"

"Hiding!" he growled.

"What for?" she laughed.

"Well, I _tried_ to walk through the park, but there was too much of the wrong kind of attention," he huffed indignantly. "I wasn't even doing anything. I was wearing a T-shirt and keeping to myself."

"Welcome to the reality of womanhood," Marinette commisserated. "Not so fun when you're the one being _cat_ -called, is it?"

"Princess. Did you just use a cat pun?" he practically squealed, bouncing on his toes.

"Don't get used to it. I thought it might cheer you up, since you seem to like them so much."

"How did you know?"

"I follow the Ladyblog pretty closely. My best friend runs it, you know."

"I am vaguely familiar with Ms. Cesaire's work," he intoned dryly. That was a mild way of putting how he constantly stalked the Ladyblog for new stories and photos of his Lady.

"So, what's going to happen is pretty simple. I give you the rundown on being a girl, you ask any questions come to mind, and you hang out here at the bakery until this is fixed. We go to school during the day and meet back here in the afternoon. You'll eat with us and we can hang out and do homework or whatever until time to sleep. If an urgent question comes up during the day, you can text or call me using this burner phone," she informed him, handing him a plain, outdated cell.

"You certainly are prepared," he remarked. "Also, your parents are cool with this?"

"I like plans," she replied with a shrug. "And yes, they are. But the second you're a guy again, you're getting kicked out of the bedroom part of the house. Dad's orders. Any questions so far?"

"Yeah. How do you get anything done with _these_ in the way?" he harrumphed, pointing to his chest.

Marinette burst out laughing, and dang if it wasn't the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. His heart fluttered against his ribcage and he silently commanded it to calm the heck down. It belonged to Ladybug only. "Most of us aren't quite so... well-endowed," she managed diplomatically. "But wearing a bra would be a good start."

"Oh," he mumbled, cheeks aflame. He had forgotten that. Well, that might explain some of the wolf whistles in the park. "Where do I get one?"

"You're a bit, erm, big to borrow one of mine, so we're just going to have to buy one. Do you have cash?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Okay. Then are we going out mostly in civilian wear or full Chat?"

"Civilian wear," he said quickly. "Just give me a sec."

He grabbed the mask from the dresser and darted behind the changing screen and called for claws in. Plagg floated out and tucked himself quietly directly into Adrien's pocket for once. He slipped on the disguise and stepped out, anxious to see if Marinette would recognize him. She only smiled warmly and handed him a black hoodie with cat ears.

"A project I've been working on. I thought it suited you and would distract from the mask."

"Thanks," he said, shrugging it on.

He checked out his reflection in the mirror. He looked like Chat's twin sister in street clothes. He grinned. It wasn't a bad look, honestly.

He couldn't help remarking with a smirk, "So, you work on a lot of Chat Noir fashions, huh Princess?"

"Heh. I guess I do. You keep this city safe and you've saved me personally on multiple occasions. Of course I'm going to find a way to show my appreciation," she said nonchalantly.

His face caught fire and he cleared his throat harshly. He had no response to that.

They went to the lingerie store and purchased two different bras for Chat, along with a week's worth or so of panties. He hadn't known there were so many kinds of chest torture devices. Push-up, strapless, t-shirt, sports, bralette, wireless, racerback- the list went on. He also had no idea that the sizes were on a complicated system of letters and numbers that made little sense to him. Apparently, if he had been born a girl, he would have had to remember the combination 34D, whatever that meant. It all sounded like some secret code system to him.

They made it back to Marinette's room relatively humiliation-free, with him wearing the demonic fabric and wire contraption that female people apparently had to put up with every day. Gosh, how did they _do_ it without going mad? He was already cranky and he'd only been wearing it for an hour. He did have to admit that the support made possessing breasts less cumbersome, and girl underwear was actually more comfortable like this than his briefs had been.

"So, now that that nightmare is over, can you show me how to keep this mop out of my face?"

Marinette eagerly taught him how to braid hair, and they spent awhile letting him practice on her until Chat's stomach rumbled. She left to grab some snacks and returned holding a tray heaped with baked goods and a bowl of popcorn. Two lemonades perched on the edge of the heavy-looking thing. He leapt to help her lower it to the coffee table.

"Your parents fixed all of that for just the two of us?"

"They think you're too thin," she said by way of explanation. "They said to tell you that you are welcome to come by the bakery any time after this is over and get pastries on the house for saving Paris all the time."

"This is the nicest thing anybody's ever done for me," he choked out.

"What, feeding you? It's really no big deal."

"No, all of this," he indicated with a sweeping gesture. "You're being so kind. Why?"

"It's the right thing to do. Besides, it's the least I can do after everything you've done for this city, and for me. You keep us all safe. You deserve the moon and more," she told him fondly.

She was letting a lot of things fly past her lips that she wouldn't- couldn't say when she was Ladybug. It would only encourage his flirting and she couldn't afford to have either of them distracted. She was glad to have a chance to tell her partner how much she appreciated him, even though he didn't know it was her.

He had no words, so they ate in silence. When they were full, Marinette eyed him and put forth a casual question.

"What would a stray cat say to movie night?"

"Do you have any anime?" he asked eagerly.

They stayed up far too late watching movies and chatting amiably. When neither could stop yawning, Chat tried to insist on taking the couch, but Marinette was adamant that he was a guest and he ought to take the bed. He agreed only of they shared. It was her house, after all. She should get to sleep in her own bed, and this was the only way he could see her agreeing to do so. He tugged on a pair of his boxers over the new panties and, with coaching from Marinette from the other side of the changing screen, managed to remove the torture device from his chest and change it out for a far more relaxed sports bra. He dropped a loose tee over his head and climbed gingerly into bed after Marinette once he'd brushed his teeth. He attempted to lie as close to the edge of the mattress as possible, leaving oceans of space in between himself and Marinette. He might be a girl at the moment, but he was going to be a gentleman nonetheless.

"Goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight, Chaton."

Despite his best intentions, he awoke curled around Marinette, with her face tucked against his throat. At his sharp intake of breath, she stirred sleepily and snuggled closer. He waited until she settled again to slip out of bed and get ready. She woke around the time he exited the shower, which he had taken as fast as possible with his eyes screwed shut. His body or not, he wasn't going to look at a naked woman at fifteen if he could at all avoid it. He transformed before he exited the bathroom because he worried that Marinette would recognize the outfit on him at school.

She smiled at him and blinked contentedly. "Sleep well?"

"Better than I have in ages, actually," he confessed.

"Great! I'll get ready, then help you, and then we can go down for breakfast."

"But I'm already good to go!"

"Oh, chaton, you have so much to learn," she tsked with a shake of her head.

Marinette helped him brush and style his hair and introduced him to the wonders of flavored lip gloss. She scolded him repeatedly for licking it off. They ate breakfast with her super nice parents, who had packed him a lunch, and then went their "separate" ways to school.

Adrien arrived seconds later, seeing as Marinette's house was across the street from the school, but it took him ages to work up the courage to walk out from behind the low wall through the front doors. Chances were that he wasn't the only one this had happened to. It would be fine.

The second he entered the classroom, the last one in, everything fell dead quiet. Then the whispers started up.

"Who's the new girl?"

"I dunno. Never seen her before. Hot, though."

"Where is she from?"

"Do you think she's a model?"

"Obviously. Look at her!"

"Do you think she's single?"

He barely held back from cracking up at that last one and the room went silent again when he beamed widely. He took his seat nonchalantly by Nino with a wicked grin. Their reactions were going to be fun to watch. It looked like only Nathanael had been caught, and the only noticeable difference was that more of his face was covered up by a fringe of bright red hair, so it might take awhile before the class caught on.

"Um, no offense, dudette, but that seat's taken," Nino told him politely.

"It certainly is," he purred, winking saucily.

"No, um, I mean-" he stuttered, clearly flustered while Alya glared daggers at the minx flirting with her boyfriend. "My best buddy Adrien sits there."

"Yup," he agreed, popping the "p."

There was a beat of bewildered silence. Then comprehension dawned on his buddy's face.

"Wait- Dude, is that you?" Nino spluttered.

"In the flesh," he confirmed, sticking out his tongue teasingly.

The whole class went nuts asking questions and just generally screaming. Chloe actually cried, wailing about the injustice of losing the hottest guy in class to womanhood as Sabrina patted her back comfortingly. But there was only one reaction besides Nino's that mattered to him. He turned to Marinette, who was gazing at him dreamily. Well, that was unexpected.

"I like your hair," she complimented, not knowing that she herself had fixed it for him.

"Thanks. Akuma do occasionally have good taste," he replied flippantly.

"Bro, what is it like?" Kim blurted.

"The only polite way I can think to put it is that bras freaking _suck_ ," he answered bluntly.

"Amen!" Alix hollered from the back.

"Now you know the pain," Alya commiserated, friendly again now that she knew he wasn't trying to steal her man.

Mme. Bustier came in before any more talk could be exchanged. She did a double take at Adrien, but then shrugged, used to akuma havoc. This girl was practically Msr. Agreste's twin and sitting in his seat, so it was probably him. As long as Adrien paid attention and got the usual high marks, she didn't care that Adrien was suddenly female out of the blue. The only thing she did about the situation was pick up her clipboard, call roll, and when she reached him, inquire, "Do you still prefer male pronouns, Agreste?"

"Yes, thanks," he replied, grateful that she'd asked.

And that was that.

He got several awkward questions throughout the day from various people, mostly guys. He deflected any that were even remotely crude and honestly replied in brief and simple terms to the rest. Two boys and one girl tried to ask him out, and he politely declined. What was _with_ people? Was he seriously that irresistible as a girl? His Lady _had_ called him cute for the first time after it happened, so maybe...

Other than the general awkwardness, the day was pretty normal until he went to leave school and found his limo absent, only to recall that he was walking to Marinette's. He transformed behind school and made the short sojourn to the bakery. He walked in the front door of the bakery and Tom and Sabine cheerfully waved him up the stairs, thrusting a bag of cookies into his hand before he made it ten steps.

He met Marinette in her room and saw her furiously sewing something. She glanced up from the project and greeted him cheerfully.

"How was your day, chaton?"

"Weird," he replied. "I got asked out three times- once by another girl. The questions were endless about what it's like. The teachers were all professional about it, though. I was glad for their refreshing levels of chill compared to my classmates. Also, your parents are strangely obsessed with feeding me, Princess."

"I told you they think you're too skinny. They're going to give you baked goods every time they see you, probably. If you don't want that, you're going to have to start coming in through the skylight. Kudos for your newfound game, though," she complimented.

"I'm definitely still coming in through the front," he assured her. "I _never_ get sweets at home, so this is really nice. Strange, but nice. And am I really that much hotter as a girl?"

"Yes," she responded simply. "Well, equally hot, but people are less intimidated asking girls out than guys for the most part," she corrected.

"How can you tell? Aren't you straight?"

She laughed, and he cursed his traitorous heart as it performed acrobatics in his chest again.

"I don't have to be attracted to girls to evaluate their aesthetic cuteness," she snickered. "And also, no. I'm bi. I swing both ways."

"Oh. Sorry," he coughed. That explained the dreamy expression in class today. His face heated at the realization that Marinette thought he was cute in both personas.

"It's fine," she dismissed. "Most people make that mistake. I _do_ like guys, mostly, so it doesn't really bother me."

"I still shouldn't have assumed," he insisted.

"Okay, then I accept your apology," she conceded with a roll of her eyes. "We good?"

"Yeah. So, what are you working on?"

Despite the best efforts of the Lucky Duo, Eve was more interested in converting as many men as possible than listening to Hawk Moth and going after their miraculous. Paris was a big city, but she had managed to make it so that almost three quarters of its population was female in just under three weeks.

Despite himself, Chat was getting so used to his new shape that he was almost reluctant to go back. Though, he admitted to himself that it was probably less because he actually liked being a girl than because he liked being with Marinette. She felt more like home than his house did at this point.

They were spending a lot of time together, and all of it was amazing.

He liked losing to her at Mecha strike. Her victory dance and concentration face were equally adorable, and he always melted at them. Even her trash talk made him grin like a goofball.

He liked playing Monopoly with her family. Sabine kicked all of their butts at every board game ever. She pretended to be mad when they made alliances to attempt to take her down, but she smiled behind her hand.

He liked listening to her describe her designs in detail as she worked. She was going to be a great fashion designer someday.

He liked texting her during the day on the burner phone, though he sent far fewer urgent questions than memes, puns, and cat videos to which she responded largely with annoyed emojis and selfies of her exasperated expressions. He lit up when she would, infrequently, reply with a quip of her own or forward him a funny clip. It absolutely made his day when she enjoyed his digital antics.

He liked just laying next to each other while she carded her fingers through his hair while he purred contentedly.

He liked telling increasingly terrible jokes until his Princess laughed her heart-flipping laugh.

He liked watching movies too late at night and having her fall asleep with her head on his shoulder, face relaxed and breathing soft and slow.

He liked having her try to teach him how to bake only for it to end in a small fire and frosting on both of their faces. Tom had told them to clean up, but he had helped get the batter off of the ceiling, with his superior height. He hadn't been angry in the slightest, and had, in fact, dumped flour over both of their heads until it turned into a wild, messy war that Sabine had to break up with a stern frown that kept twitching at the corners as she fought back a smirk.

He liked spending hours talking about big things and small things. He felt like he could trust her with anything, and it was only fear of rejection that kept his secret identity secret at that point. She was never as easy around Adrien as she was with Chat.

He liked striking Model PosesTM with ridiculous exaggeration competitively with her until they were both incapacitated with giggles at someone's butchered duckface.

He liked going out with her in civilian clothes and her handmade mask to stroll through the park or go shopping or anything else. They'd even been out for lunch a couple of times on weekends. There had been fewer incidents of unwanted attention. He could see now why girls seemed to go everywhere in groups. It deterred most of the hostiles. The rest, Marinette dispatched with savage efficiency. She scolded the harassers like a maiden aunt until they slunk away thoroughly chastised and he begged her, awestruck, to teach him her ways.

Chat was just so _comfortable_ with her. He would even go so far as to say that she was probably his best friend, as good as Nino or better. He had never been this way around anyone before: this open, this free, this _real_. He still cared a lot about Ladybug, but even his most trusted partner didn't make such an effort to make him feel this important, this- well... loved. He kinda never wanted it to end.

Adrien had fallen head over heels for Marinette Dupain-Cheng, every part of her.

He could only hope she felt the same.

Marinette, for her part, did feel the same, but she was convinced that Chat only loved the mask, that the real Marinette was somehow a disappointment. They were friends, really good friends, but that was all they would ever be, and she had resigned herself to that. It would be enough. It had to be.

Inevitably, Eve made an appearance again, and inevitably, he and Ladybug defeated her. He felt the tickle of the ladybug swarm pass over him and then suddenly he was back in his old body. He fought back a sense of disappointment, but his fist bump with Ladybug wasn't as enthusiastic as normal.

"Kitty? What's wrong?" she asked him, concern in her big blue eyes that reminded him painfully of his Princess.

"Oh. It's just- I was having a really good time at Marinette's house. The bakery feels like home, and I'm really gonna miss it," he admitted.

"Miss all of the sweets, you mean?" she tried to tease, feeling a pang of sorrow at the realization that she wouldn't be waking up next to her chaton anymore.

"Well, yes," he agreed. "But mostly Princess- I mean, Marinette. We got really close, and I wish that I could stay and spend time with her for a little longer. She's wonderful, LB, she really is."

"Do you love her?" Ladybug asked after a lengthy pause.

"I- yeah. I think I do," Chat confessed.

"Well, go by her house and tell her so," his partner told him. "Just because you're a guy again doesn't mean that she won't want to hang out with you. She'll still like you, even though your boobs are gone forever."

He laughed, startled by her bluntness. "Thanks, Bugaboo. I might take you up on that advice."

"You better. That girl is crazy about you, and if you vanish without a trace, she'll wonder what she did wrong."

"She is?"

"Duh," she snorted. "Anyone who puts up with your cat puns for three weeks without strangling you obviously has to adore you," she teased.

"I'll have you know that my Princess _likes_ my puns," he humphed.

"Whatever you say, kitty."

They both left before the transformation timed out, both looking forward to Chat's next visit to the bakery.

Chat swung by that night, heart pounding in his chest. What if he was wrong about how she felt? What if he ruined their friendship and she never wanted to talk to him again? What if...?

His train of thought came screeching to a halt when he saw Marinette waiting for him on her balcony with two steaming mugs that smelled of chocolate, a plate of macarons resting on the tiny table next to the chaise lounge.

"Expecting company?"

"I was hoping for some. You arrived just in time," she replied with a welcoming smile. "The cocoa is still warm."

They stood side by side in silence for a few moments, sipping their drinks.

"I have your bag," she said after a while.

"Oh. Good."

There was another long stretch of quiet. He broke the stillness with a shuddering inhale to steel himself for his next words.

"Princess, I have something to tell you."

"What is it, chaton?"

"I like you. Like, really really like you. I'm pretty sure it's even love," he babbled. "But if this is going to be a thing, you have to know me- all of me. And that means taking off the mask."

"Are you sure? You trust me that much?"

"I trust you with my life, Princess," he assured her. "Plagg, claws in."

The transformation faded and Adrien Agreste stood on her balcony, smiling sheepishly. Her hands clutched her mug so tightly that he thought it might break. Her knuckles went as white as her face as the blood drained from it. The look on her face was pure terror.

"Is it... is it really that bad that it's me?" he asked quietly, scuffing the roof with a foot.

"NO!" Marinette screamed so vehemently that he took a step back. She took a calming breath. "I mean, I'm just surprised. You and Chat are so... different. Both good!" she reassured him. "But definitely different."

"Well, Adrien Agreste can't get away with half of the things that Chat Noir can," he replied with a relieved laugh. "So you're not disappointed?"

"Disappointed? I'm over the freaking _moon_ ," she gushed.

"What? You are?"

"I've only had the biggest crush on you for a year," she blurted. "Oh, goodness, did I just say that out loud?"

"You had a crush on me?" he gawked.

"Well, yeah," she hummed, rubbing the back of her neck. "What did you think that all of the stuttering and clumsiness and general massive awkwardness was about?"

"I just thought that you didn't like me, or that I scared you."

She laughed that laugh that made his heart flip in his chest. "Silly kitty. You can be kind of clueless sometimes, you know?"

"Hey!" he protested, then considered it. "Nope. You know what? You're right."

"So, um. As long as we're confessing things, I have something to say. Tikki, spots on!" she called before she could change her mind. Moments later, Ladybug took her place on the balcony. At Adrien's slack-jawed reaction, she squeaked, "Um, surprise?"

"I'm gonna pass out," he deadpanned. "You're Ladybug. I got over my crush on you... because I fell in love with you. Oh, my head hurts," he groaned.

"Are _you_ disappointed?"

"Seeing as I confessed my undying love for you, the answer to that is a resounding no," he quipped.

"To be fair, it was more like an admission of like with a possibility of love," she pointed out, releasing the costume.

Suddenly, it was just two civilians standing there.

"Then allow me to do this properly," he said, bowing to one knee. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ladybug, my Princess, my partner, my best friend, I love you more than words can express. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I will, Adrien Agreste. And I love you, too, chaton."

He stood and they embraced in a tight hug that ended in a warm, soft kiss that tasted like chocolate.

"So, what now?" Adrien asked.

"We walk into class tomorrow holding hands and watch everyone's heads explode?" she suggested.

"That sounds like fun," he chuckled. "Let's do it. But in the long term, would you... I mean, could I...?"

She had mercy on him. "You should definitely still come to visit. Papa has already invited you for game night on Friday."

"I'll be there," he said brightly. "But, um, also, could I- that is, could we..." he stumbled over his words.

"I would expect nothing less than the occasional secret nighttime rendezvous with my boyfriend," she giggled. "And I would not be opposed to that ending in cuddles, movie night, or maybe even another sleepover sometime."

He beamed at her. "I'd really like that. Until next time, Princess," he said, bowing over her hand and planting a kiss on her knuckles.

He transformed, hiking his overnight bag up on his shoulder as he stepped up on the railing to depart.

"Hey, Chat?" Marinette called.

"What is it?"

She grinned wickedly. "I taught you how to put on and take off a bra."

His cheeks flamed, but he just smirked back and said, "I'm going to miss falling asleep next to you, Princess."

"Yeah?" she repeated with a coy smile.

"Yeah," he confirmed, leaning in close to whisper, "Even though you snore."

He vaulted away into the night before she could reply, but she yelled after him, "I do not, you mangy alley cat!"

Chat cackled as he vanished over the rooftops, feeling happier than he had in a long time. He was dating his partner, his best friend, the love of his life. His heart soared in his chest like it did when Marinette laughed multiplied by a million. Things could not be more perfect. He would gladly have been turned into a girl sooner if he had known that this would be the end result, stupid demon bras or not.

A/N: So what did you think of Chat as a girl? I did my best, and I still used he pronouns because he still felt like a guy on the inside. I didn't end up using the bit where he was confused as to why Marinette told him very seriously to tell her the second it happened if he even thought his stomach started to hurt, but I still wanted you to have that mental image of bewildered Chat, so I put it in the author's notes. I wanted to try writing a sin-free Marichat fic for once where Marinette didn't get akumatized, and this fluff is the result. As always, I love you, dear readers! Hugs, Me.


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